Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted that the club wants to keep Raheem Sterling for 'as long as possible', while admitting there's a possibility that Sergio Aguero, who has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, may leave the Citizens.

Sterling's current deal at the Etihad is set to expire in the summer of 2020, and recent reports have suggested the 23-year-old is happy to wait until after the World Cup to assess his options.

The England international, who arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Liverpool in the summer of 2015, has been in phenomenal form this season with 18 goals and 11 assists in 32 Premier League appearances.

Raheem Sterling is prepared to put contract talks with Manchester City on hold until after the World Cup. His current deal runs until 2020. [BBC] pic.twitter.com/RDeDbdkKnw

Back in March, Guardiola stressed Sterling's 'importance' to the team, but also admitted that he could give no guarantees about the England winger's future at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of City's weekend clash to Southampton, the Catalan tactician has again emphasised the club's intentions to keep Sterling in Manchester, saying, as quoted by theIndependent: “We all want him to stay as long as possible. The chairman and myself want him to stay a long time.”

Meanwhile, Regarding Sergio Aguero, who is a reported target for Atletico Madrid, the City boss said he wanted to keep hold of the 29-year-old but admitted there is a possibility he may leave the club in the summer.

“I think it’s not going to happen. My desire, I think its not going to happen. But I don’t know. It’s happened many times in these press conferences and I said maybe a thousand times: Sergio is going to stay until he decides his time is over.

“I said it last season and this season many times and I say it today. That’s why I say it isn’t going to happen, but in football you never know.”

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